Dandelions
by anime soma cruz
Summary: The pain of past memories never truly fades away. leon/aeris


In a little wooden box sitting by the windowsill, in Aeris' own little world filled with dirt, water, and petals waiting to bloom, sat a single dandelion. Squall had always wondered about it, why she had carefully planted a common weed among the other flowers. She would always dedicate her attention to it, treating it with a delicate hand and a broken smile. And sometimes, if she thought no one was there to hear, she would let her tears fall, let them run rivulets down her face.

She would hum through all of this; the same tune she would nearly sing when Radiant Garden was more than destroyed remains of a great city, back when she was nothing more than a pretty face that had caught Squall's eye so long ago. Aeris would pick her flowers with a smile that held no pain, no sorrow hidden within it and Squall― back when he was Squall― would watch like he did now, with heated feelings and the want to get closer to her gnawing at his mind. There were no dandelions in her basket back then, and a part of Squall's mind screamed that he knew the reason, knew the cause for all of Aeris' pain.

"Hello Leon." A soft voice said behind him, before the owner stood beside him, almond curls bouncing on her slim shoulders, her emerald eyes analyzing him with her usual calm expression. "I didn't know you liked flowers."

"I like them like anyone else," Squall said bluntly, and was rewarded with a light chuckle and a genuine smile. If only he could make her laugh like that always, sorrow was not an emotion that suited someone like her.

"I'm glad."

"Why the dandelion, won't it ruin the other flowers?" he wondered aloud, and Aeris pursed her lips for a minute, deep in thought.

"It reminds me of _him_," Aeris answered quietly. Anger flared inside Squall at her words, all her suffering, all her pain was always the result of _him_. How he trampled over Aeris, over all of them without a thought pissed Squall off. Did _he_ even realize what _he_ was doing, making a pretty girl cry because of _his_ selfish actions?

"_He_ is a weed, one that should be plucked," Squall said simply.

"Perhaps, but―" Aeris hesitated for a moment, "I believe _he_ will win his fight and come back to us."

"What if _he_ doesn't, Aeris? You may have unwavering faith in _his_ resolve but I don't."

"Squall," she whispered almost inaudibly. The use of that name caught him off-guard, she had always called him Leon, had never once faltered in calling him that. Glancing at her, he saw she was sobbing quietly, her shoulders shaking softly as she tried to hold back her tears. He had never wanted to be the cause of those tears; the sight of them hurt him more than any battle scar ever had.

He was kissing her, he realized. Those soft pink lips were on his, and her arms were slowly wrapping around his shoulders. It was frightening, having her so close to him. It felt good; it felt right, like she had always belonged in his arms. He could feel her breath, her tongue that tied itself in knots with his; he could feel everything about her. And as quickly as it had started, it was over as Aeris pulled away, breathless.

"As long as you're here with me, I can be strong," She said as she looked up at him with tear stained eyes. The smile she was gave him was one he had never seen before, a smile he secretly hoped that was reserved only for him. "If you weren't here I'd probably be lost― we would all be lost."

Squall smiled softly back at her, wiping her tears away with a gentle finger. "You make me sound like some kind of valiant hero."

"You are to me. Even if you are as weak inside as everyone else, as long as I have someone to believe in, I can keep on living," Aeris said calmly as she pulled away from Squall. No words were spoken after that for a long while, Squall choosing to watch her as she tended her flowers with loving hands.

She would still hum that song when she thought she was alone, tears streaming down her face. _He_ was never going to return as the same person _he_ was before, something Aeris' eyes always seemed to reflect. Even as their relationship deepened, Squall could never heal the pain he had inflicted upon her. Perhaps it was a useless effort to try and heal it, but as long as he could see her smile, that was all that mattered.

That dandelion could represent _him_ all it wanted as far as Squall was concerned. He was not going to lose to a memory locked within a weed. He would create his own memories with her, and make sure she would never have to pick out a flower to plant alongside it.


End file.
